Monday, January 10, 2011

Financially, it's the time when we need to cut back a bit in the aftermath of Christmas splurges. Physically and calorifically, we need to start eating more healthfully after over-indulging during the Holidays. It's also the time of year when fresh fruit and vegetables tend to shoot up in price -- because most produce is being air-freighted in from far-flung places. The folks at Fairfood Farmstand suggested buying local, and leaning (pun intended) on the staples in your refrigerator.

Jamie Oliver, one of the best loved cooks in the U.K. is a proponent of healthy local eating. Lucky for him he owns a farm or two and can walk into his garden and dig up what he needs, when he needs it! If, like us, you have a quilt-sized back yard and a couple of flowerboxes, you aren't sauntering out to the back forty when you need some fresh kale. If, like us, you live in striking distance of Reading Terminal Market you can access local produce right now. Squash, potatoes, hardy root vegetables like sweet potatoes and parsnips, mushrooms, cranberries, kale and apples are still available from local growers.

Mr Oliver is a quirky, opinionated chef, who speaks as he finds. As you'll see in this video clip showing him making a pea frittata on a camping stove in a market in the U.K.

We trust that our Jamie wouldn't steer us wrong, either health-wise or taste-wise with his pea fritatta, but if you still have your doubts about the nutritional quality of eggs, then read on....

According to incredibleegg.org, eggs should be an important staple in our diet. Their egg-sperts crack the myth that an egg a day is associated with an increase in cholesterol: "Nutrient-rich, all-natural eggs are a welcome addition to any diet. One egg has 13 essential vitamins and minerals, high-quality protein, healthy unsaturated fats and antioxidants, and contain only 70 calories." These nutrient-packed orbs are also essential in supporting: